It took just one knock for Yuvraj to leave his mark

For someone who is struggling, it is the timing of a knock that is of prime importance, for it helps to restore one’s confidence. In Yuvraj Singh’s case, it was his cameo knock of 35 against Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup match on Wednesday that went a long way in exorcising his own self doubts. He followed it up with a knock of 50 against UAE on Thursday. With the World T20 starting in India from next week, Yuvi has timed his knocks to perfection.

For some cricketing experts, it was all about the manner in which Yuvraj scored those runs against Sri Lanka. “As far as I am concerned, it was all about him (Yuvraj) getting the timing of his patent shots. His flicks and pulls were back in circulation and that’s the main thing for me. More than his scores, I think the fact that he was able to rediscover the timing and range of his shots that impressed me the most,” said former cricketer Kirti Azad.

The manner in which Yuvraj went after veteran spinner Herath was also quite creditable. “I am also quite impressed by the manner in which he scored two sixes against Herath. He (Herath) was having a good spell and with the asking rate mounting, the manner in which Yuvi went after him was something of a revelation. The positivity which Yuvraj displayed at this stage was something of a revelation,” said another cricketer who preferred to remain anonymous.

Another factor which went in favour of the all-rounder was the fact that he got to spend considerable amount of time in the middle. “For a batsman, it is quite important to get as much time in the middle. This rational applies to even those batting in the shorter version of the game. The fact that Yuvraj has got to spend considerable periods of time in the middle in the four matches that he has played augurs well for him,” said the cricketer.

In fact, Yuvraj himself felt that he had regained his touch. “Today was one of those days where I felt my flow was back,” Yuvraj told bcci.tv. “I needed a bit of a flow out there to feel good. I felt that my game is back. I have been trying to get as much batting time as possible and I believe I have been picking up slowly.”

“I was assessing which bowlers I am going to attack and which bowlers I won’t,” Yuvraj said. “I told myself that if a left-arm spinner is bowling, then I am going to go and attack straight away. Any left-hand batsman who can hit sixes will go after left-arm spin,” he added.